This program is designed by CARHA Hockey and offered through the City of Ottawa. Fit for Hockey is a boot camp style program that offers participants 19+ on-ice conditioning opportunities before the start of their hockey season to give them an edge over their competition. In conjunction with receiving extra on-ice time, participants will also receive tips on nutrition, hydration, and heart health.

Fit for Hockey also allows participants to use a heart rate monitor that let them see improvements in their physical fitness.

With the winter season wrapping up, how great does your gear smell? Yeah, that’s what we thought. Here are some quick, easy tips for hand-washing your gear and eliminating those pretty terrifying odours.

Helmet:Fill your bathtub with warm water and a gentle baby shampoo, and use a sponge to thoroughly clean every crevice of your helmet. Afterwards use a towel to pat off as much moisture as possible, and leave your helmet in a well-ventilated area to air dry.

Gloves:Use detergent, warm water and an old toothbrush to scrub the inside of your gloves, and a wet cloth to clean off the outside. After your gloves have dried, use a deodorizing spray or powder to eliminate any lingering odours.

Skates:If your skates have removable boot inserts, air them out in a well-ventilated area and use a disinfectant spray rather than water. Deodorizing foot powder is another great option for eliminating odours. Make sure the outsides of your skates – and especially the blades – are thoroughly cleaned and dried so you don’t see any rusting.

Pads:Fill your bathtub with detergent and hot water, and let your pads soak for about half an hour. Use a cloth or a sponge to scrub off any remaining dirt, and rinse them under the tap until the water runs clear. You can pat off excess moisture using a fresh towel, and leave your pads to dry overnight.

Top 10 reasons why hockey is important to Canadians

10. Canadians consider their 1972 win over Russia to be more important than their involvement in World War II (Globe and Mail poll)

9. Hockey keeps the Canadian dental industry healthy

8. Playing hockey kept generations of Canadians from freezing to death

7. Hockey players can raise lots of money for charity even when no one understands what they’re saying (“Bonjour, je suis Bob Gainey…”)

6. Hockey is the only topic other than sex that creates the same passion from coast to coast

5. A good body check means the same in both official languages

4. Hockey is the perfect outlet for rage and frustration (that’s why Canadians so nice outside the ice rink)

3. When Marc Garneau became the first Canadian to space, he brought with him a hockey puck (only to realize the Space Station arena was closed for the summer)